What happened in Las Vegas
McLaren issued a statement after the Las Vegas Grand Prix. Both of the team's cars were disqualified. The floor panel had too much wear and tear. As a result, Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri were not included in the results.
On paper, Norris finished second and Piastri was in fourth place. Due to the disqualification, Norris lost the six points he could have gained on Piastri. This allowed Max Verstappen to draw level with Piastri in the battle for second place. Norris's lead over Verstappen shrunk from 42 to 24 points.
Main cause: porpoising and a faulty sensor
McLaren says that aerodynamic oscillations, or porpoising, caused premature wear on the board. These vertical fluctuations were greater than expected. The teams had little dry practice time in Vegas. As a result, McLaren did not anticipate this degree of porpoising.
In addition, McLaren lost a sensor on Piastri's car. That sensor measures how close the car gets to the asphalt. Without that data, the team was unable to properly track the movements of Piastri's car. Norris's telemetry was still working, which made monitoring easier.
Actions during the race
The team noticed that this was becoming a problem in the opening laps. Later in the race, Norris slowed down considerably and coasted. He tried to avoid scraping the kerb. This measure worked sometimes, but not everywhere.
McLaren states that braking down speed in some corners helped, but in other places it actually hindered progress. The combination of the car's operating range and the characteristics of the circuit rendered many actions ineffective.
What McLaren had already done and what remains unclear
McLaren claims that it did not take any excessive risks with the ride height. For qualifying and the race, the team even added extra margin compared to the settings used in free practice. However, that margin was negated by unexpected, large vertical oscillations.
It is not yet entirely clear why McLaren encountered so many problems in Vegas. Street circuits are inherently bumpier, which makes them more susceptible to plank wear. However, other teams did not receive any penalties during inspections, not even cars from the top ten. McLaren is continuing to investigate what exactly triggered the issue.
- Sensor on Piastri's car failed, resulting in incomplete telemetry.
- Porpoising caused high plank wear.
- Norris attempted to reduce speed to minimise damage.
- Other teams were not disqualified.
Consequences for the championship and team policy
The double disqualification has direct consequences for the championship. Verstappen benefited and is now closer to Norris. Piastri also lost out in practical terms because both cars were set back.
Questions are being raised as to whether McLaren will have to choose which driver to protect if both remain in contention for the title. Team principal Andrea Stella said there is no reason to do so as long as the numbers do not require it. According to the team, the drivers will be free to race in Qatar.
Looking ahead: Qatar and lessons for Woking
The race in Qatar at Lusail is a completely different circuit to Vegas. McLaren therefore does not expect a repeat of the same problem. Nevertheless, the situation provided useful information about the car's working range and porpoising behaviour.
Stella praised the technical team in Woking for their quick response and investigation. McLaren intends to use the new insights to prevent similar surprises in the future.
In summary: a sensor malfunction on Piastri's car prevented proper monitoring. Large vertical oscillations caused unforeseen plank wear. This led to two disqualifications and changed the championship standings.
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